1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to systems and methods for loading, stacking, and/or handling large bales of hay. In particular, the present invention relates to a loading and stacking apparatus that incorporates a bale moving mechanism to rearwardly move a hay bale off a loading mechanism and onto a bale accumulating platform.
2. Background and Related Art
Traditional procedures for harvesting crops, such as hay, include the utilization of mobile baling devices that collect hay and form bales. Each hay bale is a collection of hay that may include one of a variety of shapes and sizes depending on the device employed in forming the bale. A typical “large” or “big” bale size ranges from 2 to 4 feet wide, 2 to 4 feet high, and up to 8 feet long. Each bale weighs from 500 to 2500 pounds, depending on the size of the bale.
Once formed, the bales are typically discharged onto the ground. Vehicles, such as wagons or trucks, are driven over the fields where the bales are located. The formed bales are loaded onto the vehicles by hand or by a lifting apparatus, such as a forklift. After a vehicle is completely loaded with bales, the vehicle is driven to a place of bale storage or utilization and a forklift is typically used to unload and/or stack the bales.
This process for loading and unloading bales has proven to be cumbersome and time-consuming, and involves two operations. As such, a variety of complex mechanisms have been developed and utilized to load and unload bales. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,249,842 discloses a self loading multiple bale trailer that comprises an elongated trailer frame with a belt conveyor extending from end to end and a lift fork for engagement at the lower periphery of a large round bale at the side of the trailer upon forward motion of a tow vehicle. The lift fork is supported on a frame that is connected by an arm to a sleeve slidable on a vertical shaft and having a hydraulic cylinder for lifting the bale. The sleeve is also rotatable about a vertical axis to swing the lifted bale a half circle from the side of the trailer to a position over the conveyor for deposit thereon. The conveyor is operable to move the deposited bale to a desired position along the trailer and may also be used to discharge the bale from the rear of the trailer or to re-engage the lift fork with the bale. In an alternative form, the bale may be handled by a penetrating spike instead of lift fork legs in unwinding the bale for feeding.
Alternatively, U.S. Pat. No. 4,971,504 discloses a bale handling apparatus, particularly for loading, stacking and retrieving large rectangular bales. The apparatus includes an elongated bed mounted on a vehicle adapted for forward loading of bales into a loading cradle pivotally connected to the front of the bed. The loading cradle includes two sections pivotally connected to each other such that the angle between the two sections changes during the loading cycle to support the bale and then push the bale onto the elongated bed. Curved loading forks projecting from one of the loading cradle sections are adapted to slide under a bale to be loaded and also aid in stabilizing the bales accumulated on the bed as the bed is pivoted from the horizontal loading position to a vertical position to create a bale stack that may be retrieved by the apparatus at a later time.
The apparatus described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,507,612 represents one of the more effective hay bale devices. A bale pick-up and stacking mechanism is incorporated into a flat bed truck. The apparatus provides substantial savings over conventional methods for loading bales, but may be somewhat difficult to operate and requires the dedication of a flatbed truck for the single purpose of loading and stacking bales. The apparatus includes a substantially improved bale loading mechanism that is mounted on a trailer towed by an offset hitch behind a tractor. The loading mechanism enables a bale loading device on the front of the trailer to be towed into contact with a bale so that grasping arms may engage the sides of the bale(s). The loading device is then actuated to upwardly lift the bale(s), whereupon the bale(s) slide rearwardly on the inclined accumulating platform of the trailer and lodge at the rearmost position. This operation is repeated until the accumulating platform and loading device are filled. The trailer is then towed to a storage location and the bale accumulation platform is tipped rearwardly to deposit the bales in a stacked position at the storage location.
The bale handling and transporting apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,725,346 comprises a bale handler on a trailer or body that can be positioned to pick up bales located on either side of the body. The bale handler may have an upright boom, a boom arm, and a bale gripper. The boom is pivoted to move the boom arm and the bale gripper to either side of the body. The boom maybe adjusted in length and lowered to place a bale within the jaws of the bale gripper. A stabilizer supports the body during the bale lifting operation. The boom and boom arm are operated to lift the bale onto the trailer. A conveyor belt shifts bales along the length of the trailer in either direction. The belt is keyed to the trailer to prevent sideways shifting of the belt relative to the trailer body, such as when the trailer is on a hillside. The body may be articulated with first and second bed sections. When empty, one of the bed sections maybe pivoted or otherwise positioned to overlie the other bed section to reduce the overall length of the trailer. The rear end of the rearmost bed section maybe lowered and a tailgate dropped to facilitate bale unloading.
The bale loading apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,171,047 includes a wheeled undercarriage having front and rear ends, a deck pivotally mounted by a pivot mount to the rear end of the undercarriage for supporting a row of bales thereon, and actuating component driven by a first drive to pivot said deck between a first generally horizontal position and a second generally vertical position. The apparatus also includes forks mounted to the rear of the deck, with the forks preferably composed of tines. The forks are positionable at substantially ground level and in a generally horizontal orientation when the deck is generally vertical. A conveyor is incorporated within the deck to convey a bale from the rear end of the deck to the front end thereof. A drive component is provided to drive the conveyor.
Furthermore, U.S. Pat. No. 6,220,811 discloses a vehicle bed, comprising a bed frame adapted for carrying a load, a fork including at least one tine, and a pivot mechanism adapted for pivoting the bed frame and the fork between a first position and a second position with respect to a vehicle frame. The fork is connected to an end of the bed frame and is substantially orthogonal to the bed frame. Loads are transported on the bed frame in the first position and are moved off or on the fork in the second position. The vehicle bed may be incorporated as part of a truck bed or as part of a trailer bed for a bale loading apparatus. The vehicle bed may include a lift mechanism including a lift cylinder adapted for lifting a load with respect to the vehicle frame to compensate for a load weight compressing a vehicle suspension. The bale loader includes a boom having a mast rotatably attached to a vehicle or trailer frame, a main boom pivotally attached to the mast, a jib boom pivotally attached to the main boom, and a head swivably attached to the jib boom. The boom is adapted for handling and stacking bales on the vehicle bed. The swivel head is preferably a two-in-one head adapted for handling dry bales and wet bales without puncturing plastic wrapped around the wet bales. The bale loader further includes at least one mobile outrigger operably attached to the vehicle frame and adapted for stabilizing the load. The mobile outrigger is telescopically extendible.
Thus, while a variety of traditional procedures and/or apparatuses exist for loading, unloading, and otherwise handling bales, the procedures and/or apparatuses have typically proven to be cumbersome, difficult to utilize, and/or time-consuming. Accordingly, it would be an improvement in the art to augment or even replace traditional procedures or apparatuses in order to simplify and enhance the operations of loading, unloading, and handling bales of hay.